Maria in Vancouver
A Queen Unlike Any Other: Queen Elizabeth II
My family and I have been staunch royalists ever since I can remember. My family moved to London, England in 1983. My sisters and I studied in London and I lived there for the next ten years, from 1983 to 1993. At 15 years old, I was most impressionable. Living in London in the mid-80s was an experience like no other. It was the most compelling time. It was the first time I was exposed to the world of royalty. We lived at Thorney Court in Kensington, a mere stone’s throw away from Kensington Palace where Princess Diana lived with her two sons, William and Harry.
Living in London in the ’80s was a whole new world under the conservatism of Thatcher (and the ruling party’s constant bickering with the opposition Labour Party and its leader, Neil Kinnock) amidst the era of Yuppies; the paparazzi stalking and hounding Princess Diana; homeless people squatting and soaring house prices; smoking on buses and tubes; vibrant youth culture tribes; IRA bombs, the coal miners’ strikes; drinking dens, Soho, watching Top of the Pops, Coronation Street and Eastenders; listening to pirate radio and dancing to the tunes of Duran Duran, Culture Club, Wham and the Pet Shop Boys at Tramp, Stringellows or at the members only club, Annabel’s; having lunch at either the trendy San Lorenzo in Knightsbridge or at Les Ambassadeurs in Mayfair — 1980’s London seemed to revel in extremes!
Perhaps the most English thing my family and I embraced aside from high tea at Fortnum and Mason was our love for the Royal Family, most especially, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. We admire, love, and respect her for her grace, her style, her selfless devotion to service, her steadfastness even when all around her is falling apart, her energy and wit. She is everything that is quintessentially British.
Much of what is known about Queen Elizabeth’s reign, life story, personality, and views have been collated from descriptions and impressions by those who had met her. Let us amuse ourselves with a few fun facts about our forever beloved Queen Elizabeth, a Queen unlike any other. These amazing fun facts are a testament to such a Royal life well lived!
1. Queen Elizabeth II was not born in a palace. She was born in a townhouse in Mayfair, London that belonged to the Earl and Countess of Strathmore, her maternal Scottish grandparents, on 21 April 1926 at 2:40 a.m.
2. Per Insider magazine, the queen-to-be never went to school. Instead, she was home-schooled together with her younger sister, Princess Margaret. The young queen-to-be had private tutors who taught her French, law, German, music, and constitutional history. She was taught by Henry Marten, the Vice-Provost of Eton. She was also instructed in religion by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Queen spoke fluent French.
3. According to an article published by the National Post, the Queen and Princess Margaret once partied incognito in the streets of London. They were given permission by their parents to celebrate the end of World War 2 on May 8, 1945. This one-night escapade was turned into a film, “A Royal Night Out”. Per an article from E! Online, Her Majesty’s nickname for her younger sister was “Bud.” In turn, her sister Margaret gave the Queen her nickname “Lilibet” because she couldn’t pronounce her older sister’s name.
4. She was 21 when Queen Elizabeth first pledged her life to public service with the famous words, “I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”
5. According to Reader’s Digest, Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth were second cousins once removed through King Christian IX of Denmark. They met when the then Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark attended the wedding of his cousin, Princess Marina, to Elizabeth’s uncle Prince George, Duke of Kent in 1934. Elizabeth was 8 and Philip was 13.
6. Prince Philip proposed with a ring by Philip Antrobus Ltd that features a magnificent three-carat round brilliant diamond, set in platinum and flanked by smaller pavé set diamonds. The diamonds were sourced from his mother Princess Alice of Battenberg’s tiara, as per an article written by Good Housekeeping.
7. With reference to an article in Country Living magazine, Queen Elizabeth’s dazzling Norman Hartnell wedding gown was purchased with World War 2 rationing coupons. Two hours before she exchanged vows with Prince Philip, her grandmother Queen Mary’s diamond tiara snapped while her hairdresser tried to secure it to her 13-foot veil. Fortunately, it was welded back together in time for the vow exchange. The couple was married in Westminster Abbey on 20 November 1947. Their wedding cake was over nine feet tall, contained four tiers and was baked by McVitie and Price. Their wedding cake earned itself the nickname “The 10,000 Mile Cake.” After their wedding, the couple received over two thousand wedding gifts.
8. According to an article from the New York Post, Prince Philip’s term of endearment for Her Majesty was “Cabbage.” This pet name originated from the French phrase “mon petit chou,” which translates to my “little sweetie” or “my little cabbage.”
9. Prince Philip was married to Queen Elizabeth II for 73 years, making them the longest-married couple in the royal family’s history.
10. The Queen’s full title—Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom, Canada and Her other Realms and Territories, Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith—is quite a mouthful. Her full name is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, after her mother, Elizabeth, paternal grandmother, Queen Mary, and great-grandmother, Queen Alexandra. However, she doesn’t have a last name. Thank goodness!
11. Her Majesty the Queen owns all whales, dolphins, and sturgeons in the UK thanks to a statute dating back to 1324. The Queen also owned all the swans in the UK. Over the years she’s reportedly owned over 30 corgis since she received her first corgi as a gift for her 18th birthday. The Queen owned hundreds of racehorses down the years and won more than 1600 race wins. The Queen was believed to own around 200 racing pigeons as well! Her Majesty’s first corgi was called Susan and her first horse was called Peggy, according to an article from Country Living!
12. In an article by Travel and Leisure, the Queen doesn’t have a driver’s license or a passport because those are all issued in her name.
13. At the Queen’s request, her coronation was the first to be televised. At the age of just 25, Elizabeth became Queen of seven independent countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, and Ceylon. St. Edward’s Crown was placed upon Her Majesty’s head during the ceremony. The crown is encrusted with 440 precious and semiprecious stones, weighs nearly five pounds, and is made of solid gold.
14. The Queen travelled to more than 100 countries as a monarch, including 22 times in Canada, more than any other country in the world, according to Country Living.
15. The Queen has her own private ATM in Buckingham Palace — it’s provided by Coutts, one of Great Britain’s most prestigious banks. Forbes estimated in 2019 that Her Majesty was worth roughly 500 million. The Queen didn’t have to pay taxes, but her Majesty insisted and had been paying her taxes since 1993.
16. According to Insider magazine, the Queen can mimic the sound of a Concorde landing and it sounds hilarious. She’s known to have a dry sense of humour, as typical of a Brit.
17. Balmoral Castle and the Sandringham Estate are privately owned by the monarch, while Buckingham Palace, Holyrood House, and Windsor Castle are owned by the Crown Estate and not by the Queen privately. The Queen would spend her summers at Balmoral, Easter at Windsor, and Christmas at Sandringham.
18. During Queen Elizabeth’s reign, there have been 15 Prime Ministers in the UK and the Queen’s reign has also seen the term of office of 14 Presidents of the United States, per Insider magazine.
19. The Queen and Prince Philip have 4 children: Prince Charles (now King Charles III), Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward); eight grandchildren: Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Prince William, Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor, and James, Viscount Severn; and 12 great-grandchildren: Savannah Phillips, Isla Phillips, Mia Grace Tindall, Lena Elizabeth Tindall, Lucas Philip Tindall, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi, and August Philip Hawke Brooksbank.
20. The Queen was the original royal trendsetter. She was known for her elegant and classic looks and when it came to headscarves, the monarch wore silk printed ones from the French luxury brand, Hermès. Her Majesty wore bright colors so everyone who turned out to see her could recognize her easily. According to an article from Chatelaine, her senior dresser, Angela Kelly, once said spring is for florals and softer colors. Summer season meant light fabrics with stronger floral patterns and bold colors. Autumn was a cooler colour palette for cashmere and other wools. During winter, she wore wool and velvet dark purple, in gold, and royal blue. With reference to another article from Vogue, Her Majesty’s favourite colour is blue. Her Majesty owned 200 handbags by Launer — the Queen’s preferred styles of bags were said to be the black patent leather Traviata and the leather Royale. The Queen’s height was 5’3”. The Queen wore a shoe size four and all her shoes are broken in before she wears them.
21. The Queen’s alarm clock was a bagpipe tune every morning. Her Royal bagpiper plays outside her window for 15 minutes every morning at 9 a.m. and even has the special title of “Piper to the Sovereign.” Her Majesty always went to bed by 11 p.m.
22. The Queen has never eaten pizza! She avoided starch and her diet consisted of grilled sole with vegetables and salad. Her Majesty disliked garlic-heavy meals or anything with too much onion. The Queen enjoyed four small meals a day and always took afternoon tea. Her former personal chef, Darren McGrady, posted on his own website, theroyalchef.com, her favourite treat is a chocolate biscuit cake. For drinks, Her Majesty preferred a cocktail of two parts Dubonnet to one part gin, garnished with lemon. According to The Independent, Her Majesty’s cousin, Margaret Rhodes said The Queen ended each night with a glass of champagne. My kind of woman!
23. The Queen had a personal poet and the last poet she had was Simon Armitage. The poet was paid an annual stipend of nearly 6,000 pounds and 600 bottles of sherry! An enjoyable benefit indeed!
24. The Queen survived an assassination attempt during the 1981 Trooping the Colour event. A 17-year-old named Marcus Sarjeant fired a series of blanks toward Queen Elizabeth. Just months after and during a visit to a museum in New Zealand, 17-year-old Christopher John Lewis fired shots out of a window from the nearby building as the Queen stepped out from her vehicle. He missed and was arrested eight days later. On July 9, 1982, Michael Fagan climbed the Palace’s barbed wire fence and sneaked into the Queen’s bedroom. He reportedly had a long conversation with Her Majesty before he was apprehended by palace security, but according to Fagan during an interview with The Independent, “She went past me and ran out of the room; her little bare feet running across the floor.”
25. The Queen reigned for 70 years and 214 days making her the second-longest-reigning monarch of all time. Louis XIV of France at 72 years and 110 days (1643-1715) was the first longest-reigning monarch only because he had a head start, ascending the throne at just five years old. The Queen’s long reign made King Charles III the longest-serving heir apparent in British history.
